1200s BC (decade)

Events and trends

• 1204 BC—Theseus, legendary King of Athens, is deposed after a reign of 30 years and succeeded by Menestheus, great-grandson of Erichthonius II of Athens and second cousin of Theseus' father Aegeus. Menestheus is reportedly assisted by Castor and Polydeuces of Sparta, who want to reclaim their sister Helen from her first husband Theseus. Theseus seeks refuge in Skyros, whose King Lycomedes is an old friend and ally. Lycomedes, however, considers his visitor a threat to the throne and proceeds to assassinate him. (Other accounts place these events a decade earlier. See 1210s BC.)
• c. 1200 BC—The Cimmerians start settling the steppes of southern Russia? (Undocumented conjecture).
• 1200 BC—Collapse of Hittite power in Anatolia with the destruction of their capital Hattusa.
• c. 1200 BC—Start of Iron Age in Middle East
• c. 1200 BC—Chariots appear in Ancient China.
• c. 1200 BC—Earliest writing that survived exists in Ancient China.
• c. 1200 BC—Aramaic Nomads and Chaldeans become a big threat to the former Babylonian and Assyrian Empire.
• c. 1200 BC—Massive migrations of people around the Mediterranean and the Middle-East. See Sea People for more information.
• c. 1200 BC - Olmec culture starts and thrives in Mesoamerica.
• c. 1200 BC - San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán starts to flourish.
• c. 1200 BC - Possible battle in the Tollense River Valley of northern Germany.

Literature

• Tale of Two Brothers from the Egyptian Papyrus D’Orbiney by the scribe Ennana.

they also rode to work in turtles

they had pet lions on their roof

they planted friends, and ice cream, they just had sex at age 50